Target
by My Thought Bubbles
Summary: Sasuke is a deadly assassin. He gets the job done quickly and quietly, no questions asked. His next assignment? Kill a certain blond. But will it be that easy? What could possibly go wrong? SasuNaru, KakaIru AU, SMUT & YAOI WARNING! Ye be warned.
1. Chapter 1

**Target**

Ch. 1-Boom like Headshot

**A/N: Welcome fans of old and new. Here be a new story that my brain made. Enjoy. Bring a trench coat and read on!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. The idea is mine :3**

**_~Beta'd by: Jhalamae~_**

The raven leisurely walked down the long empty sidewalk. The chilly wind blew his midnight hair against his pale face, whipping it into his obsidian eyes. Lifting a black gloved hand, he brushed it out of his face and searched the buildings discreetly. The darkness of the night was held at bay by the bright lights of the city life. Finding the building he wanted, the raven opened a glass door and stepped inside of a hotel lobby. Keeping his silver briefcase at his side, he inconspicuously passed the front desk and veered toward the stairs in the left corner of the room. His coat lightly flapping, he quietly opened the door and tugged down the brim of his gray trilby hat. Shutting the door behind him, he gazed up the square spiral of stairs reaching up to the rooftop. Walking up the steps, he nonchalantly checked his watch. _11:25. Not too bad, I have time._ Passing all of the floors, he ascended to the last door which lead to the roof.

Thrusting open the door, he placed a nearby brick in the door way to keep it from closing and locking him out. Looking up, he observed the waning yellow moon. Partially hidden by clouds, it gave him enough light to see clearly. Setting down the briefcase, he gazed around the barren roof. A few empty crates of soda were lying on the floor. A small cylindrical tank of water was placed next to the door, along with old faded newspapers and broken empty bottles of beer. The gritty cement roof crunched slightly underneath his steps as he walked around. Exhaling, he watched as his breath came out as a white cloud and dispersed. Going back to the briefcase, he unlocked it and removed a pair of binoculars. Using them, he searched the surrounding buildings carefully. As the gaze of the binoculars fell upon a restaurant, he increased the zoom. Looking through the glass, he found what he had been searching for. A well-dressed man in an expensive suit sat at a decorated white clothed table, surrounded by party guests. The brown-haired man was chatting with several women, all the while making obscene passes at them. Drinking champagne, he looked to be at the highlight of his life. Too bad.

Going back to the briefcase, the black-haired man removed several pieces of metal. Assembling the rifle it together, he twisted on the suppressor and removed a single bullet from the case. His M24 fit snugly in his hands, a familiar companion. Propping up the bipod, he laid down and rested the padded butt against his shoulder. Adjusting the scope, he made sure he had a clear view of his goal. Loading the rifle, he slid the bolt up and pulled it back. Thumbing the safety button, he turned it off. Closing one eye, the other cold black eye gazed into the scope. Fitting the cross hairs on the brunette, he breathed out slowly to help steady his aim and gave the trigger a quick tug.

The bullet shot out of the barrel and sped through the air. The raven pulled the bolt up and back before shoving it forward and down, ejecting the empty case. The rifle muzzle smoked slightly. The sound of the shot was mostly covered by the noises of honking cars and robust night life. Shattering the beautiful clear glass shielding the party guests from the cold into crystal rain, the bullet slammed into the man's head. The back of the skull erupted in a fountain of spewing blood, splattering bone fragments and gray brain matter everywhere. The body dropped to the floor heavily, twitching; ruby red liquid gushing from the wound and forming a puddle underneath the corpse. The party immediately exploded into utter chaos; people stampeded out of the room shrieking and panicking. Smirking, the raven picked up the case and stood up, his body hidden by the shadow of the night.

"Hn."

Breaking down his weapon, he placed it back into the case and closed it. _Time to get out and disappear._ Touching his earpiece, he spoke quietly into it, his voice flat with boredom.

"I'm done."

A smooth voice responded.

"Well done Sasuke. Flawless as always. Get back here and collect the money when you can."

"I'm on my way."

Kicking the brick out of the way, Sasuke descended down the stairs, his pace a bit faster than before. Ignoring the sounds of police sirens coming from the outside, he casually pocketed the spent case the rifle had spit out. Adjusting his hat, he got to the last couple of steps and went to the door. Carefully gazing out of the small window in the door, he made sure no one was around to see him. Slipping out, he strolled out into the lobby and out of the front door, unseen.

Disappearing into the crowds that had gathered, he discreetly glided through the swarms of people. Police cars whipped by on the streets; the sirens wailing loudly and the lights flashing brightly. Keeping his face hidden, he avoided attracting attention and used the shadowy areas of the street to make his escape. Exiting the more populated areas, he turned into an alley that led to a shadier side of town. Yawning, he kept an eye out for trouble as he walked. Passing by houses that slowly diminished in appearance his thoughts drifted to the man he had taken out. The man had been sentenced to death for cheating on his wife. Being married to a slick politician was tough, or so he had been told. The man's executioner turned out to be his revengeful wife; a thin woman with large brown eyes and a heavily accentuated chest. _You do wrong, you get taken out. Unfortunately for that bastard, he did wrong._ Sasuke shrugged. He had no qualms about murdering another human being mercilessly in cold blood. The more blood spilt by his hands, the more he felt prepared for the day he would find _him_. A cold mask descended upon his face as unwanted memories resurfaced. Cruelly shoving them back behind a mental wall, he soon arrived at an abandoned parking deck surrounded by weeds and shadows. Taking his keys out of his coat pocket, he pressed the unlock button. His 2013 black Dodge Charger let out a sharp beep and the lights flashed from the hidden area it was intentionally parked in. Getting inside, he turned the key in the ignition and the engine purred to life. Throwing the case into the backseat, he backed out of the space and smoothly drove off.

**xXx-** **Earlier that day-xXx**

Sasuke slit open the manila folder placed in front of him. Leaning in the leather chair, he gazed at the contents. The thin paper had a small photograph of a brown haired man paper clipped on the front page. Below were the man's name, age, occupation, family, and a list of his most visited places. And below all that information was a large sum of money.

Flipping through it, Sasuke knew it would be an easy one. Turning to the silver-haired man that had handed him the folder, he nodded, his black eyes glittering dangerously. Smirking, his thin jaw opened.

"I'll take it."

The silver-haired man grinned cheerfully; his eyes turning into inverted U's.

"I knew you would. Our dear friend has a formal party scheduled for today at the Marriot ballroom to announce his decision to run for mayor. His table is next to the large windows. Incredibly easy, especially for you."

Scoffing, Sasuke smoothly stood up and tossed the manila folder back on the desk. Turning his back, he opened the door and placed one foot out.

"Sasuke, don't forget this. You'll need it." The silver-haired man was nudging the folder.

Sasuke barely stopped. Turning his head to the side, he regarded the other man with a dark eye before twisting back around and leaving.

"Don't give me that shit, Kakashi. You know I won't."

Amused, the man watched as Sasuke shut the door. Shaking his head, he lit a cigarette from his stash and leaned back in his chair.

"That kid is too damn cocky for his own good. At least he's perfect at what he does."

Chuckling to himself, he opened his desk drawer and pulled out an orange book with an explicit image on the front cover. Propping his feet up on the mahogany finish, he took a drag and turned back to the page he was on before being interrupted.

"Now where were we?..."

**xXx**

His dashboard glowing green in the dark, Sasuke watched the roads around him, mindful of any cop cars. Confident that he wasn't being followed or watched, he cruised into the parking lot of a tall building. Stepping out, he locked his Charger and strolled through the front glass doors. Not bothering to greet the secretary, he sauntered right into the elevator and pressed the button to shut the doors.

Removing his coat, he folded it against his arm and took off his trilby. Smoothing his vest, his dark eyes stared straight ahead. His thick, unruly hair stood up in the back, appearing to look like a duck's butt. His bangs fell gently in his face, framing his midnight eyes. Standing up straight, his lean, sinewy arms elongated to a pair of pale hands, one of which clutched the suitcase. His broad shoulders were perfectly fitted to his impeccable white shirt. His black tie laid smoothly against his chest, snuggled crisply in his vest. His neatly pressed pants were immaculate and had a crease running down each leg. A silver band was nestled on his right hand's middle finger. His features appeared to be expressionless, a cold poker face. A small ding rang out.

The silver doors sliding slowly open, Sasuke stepped out and headed towards his office. Operating mostly as a lawyer's firm, the Hatake firm held a dark secret. For the right price, it offered several special services. Sometimes, putting a man in jail was never enough. Sometimes, the call for blood was louder than justice. For the right price, any job could be done. Opening the door with his magnetic keycard, he clicked on the lights and set down his case in one of the client chairs. Going over to a small painting, he removed it and revealed a safe with a glowing keypad hidden behind it. Pressing the correct combination, the safe let out a small hiss and opened. It was completely empty. Pressing more keys, the bottom panel of the safe slid open and revealed a black handle. Pulling the handle up then sharply to the side, Sasuke turned to the wall behind his desk and watched as a nearly hidden panel beside a thin bookcase slid up and revealed a black room with another keypad with a hand scanner attached. Moving towards it, Sasuke retrieved his case and walked inside.

Inserting a secret code into the glowing keypad on the wall, along with his hand print, Sasuke squinted as the room was flooded in bright lights. The room was void of anything; the walls were a pale blue color. Along the walls were numbered plaques with a keyhole next to them. Going to the back wall, Sasuke inserted a key into one of the chest level panels and opened it. Inside were several neatly stacked gun magazines and a foam bed with pockets. Pulling the gun pieces out of the case, he replaced them in the foam and shut the panel. Exiting the room, the wall panel slid shut and the lights turned off. Going behind his desk, he turned on his computer and typed in his password. Waiting for it to load, he hung his coat on the metal coat rack by the door and loosened his tie. Walking out of his office, he strode into the hallway and past several other offices.

Coming to a set of tinted glass doors with the word Hatake written in loopy silver words, he shoved them open and walked down the three steps that were oddly in front of the door and the cause of more than 21 coffee related accidents. The dark carpet was a perfect match to the set of gray couches lined up on the right against the bullet-proof, 2 inch thick glass wall that gave a crystal clear, stunning view of the city. Being the top floor had its advantages. Walking to the center of the room where a gorgeous mahogany desk was placed, he sat down in the comfortable leather chairs and crossed one leg over the other at the ankle. The large black chair that had its back to him slowly swiveled around to reveal Kakashi with his arms crossed over his chest. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the dramatic turn.

Kakashi uncrossed his arms and reached into a drawer in his desk, pulling out a white package. Placing it on the desk, he slid it over to Sasuke and leaned back. Sasuke reached over and grabbed the package. Not bothering to open it, he carelessly glanced over at Kakashi and raised an eyebrow. Kakashi nodded at him.

"It's one hundred thousand. I got my share, so there is yours."

"Hn."

Fluidly getting to his feet, Sasuke walked towards the door, the package clutched in his left hand.

"Oh and before you leave, I have a new one. Everyone has something scheduled for tomorrow but you, so this is perfect. It's another easy one."

Sasuke stopped walking and sighed. Turning back around, he went back to the desk and held his hand out for the manila folder he knew he would get. Kakashi handed it off and stood up. Meandering over to the glass wall, he observed the bright lights below before pulling out his orange book and reciting the information he had just given Sasuke.

"Name's Naruto Uzumaki, age 21. One year younger than you. He currently works as a chef and is employed at one of the more popular eateries. He has short, blond spikey hair and blue eyes. An accident as a kid left him with scars on his face. Kid kinda looks like a fox. He lives alone in a single bedroom apartment in the decent area of the city. No wife or girlfriend, and no kids. He's also an orphan."

Kakashi peeked over at Sasuke who was rapidly flipping through the file. A frown marring his face, he curiously looked up at the taller man.

"Any reason why someone wants him dead? He looks like a fucking goody two-shoes."

Kakashi shook his head and shrugged. He walked back to the desk and sat on the edge, grabbing a small stress ball he had. He began to toss it up and down lazily.

"It's like always, Sasuke. We get the orders, no questions asked, do the dirty deed and get paid. You should know this." He chastised.

Sasuke glared at him, his deadly stare lowering the temperature of the room several degrees.

"No shit. The fact that most of our "jobs" are wanted dead for "wronging" someone, contrasts with Sunshine over here. He doesn't look like they usually do." Shrugging, Sasuke shut the folder. "Oh well, not my business. You said it's to be done by tomorrow?"

"That's what the client wanted. At night was his request. He wants it done quickly and quietly. No loose ends or anything to incriminate him."

Sasuke scoffed. "Sounds like he's fucking ordering take out." Getting up again, he strode to the door with the file in his hand.

"So I take it you accept?"

"Hn."

"Excellent."

Striding into his office, Sasuke plopped down in his chair and once again opened the folder that had genuinely caught his interest. As he gazed through the folder, he grabbed a pen and began to twirl it around on his fingers absentmindedly. Sunshine had no misdemeanors, no felonies, no warrants for arrest, no nothing. He was squeaky clean. He was the opposite of his usual jobs, something that struck him as odd. Flipping through, he landed on a blown up profile picture. Studying it, he noticed that the tan blond was actually quite attractive. The clear sapphire eyes exposed the happiness shining on his face. The wide, toothy grin revealed a set of perfect teeth hidden behind a pair of plump, sensuous lips. The face was tarnished only by the three scars on each cheek. Even with the scars, the face was undeniably striking. Tracing the face with the pads of his fingers, he smirked. He set the pen down and looked out of his office window and into the dark sky.

_Naruto, huh? Looks like I found my newest target._

**A/N: Hello. I hope you liked the first chapter :D if you did, you might want to check out my other story, Stranded. Umm, if you came here from Stranded, then how'd you like the new fic? Comment below , let me know :3 **


	2. Chapter 2

**Target**

Ch. 2-Terminator

**A/N: Hi. So, I hope you liked the last chapter, cuz' here's the next one. Let's get started shall we? Grab some noodles and read on!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. I only have season 5 on DVD.**

**_xXx~Beta'd by: Jhalamae~xXx_**

After doing some thorough research on Naruto, Sasuke cleaned up his office and locked his package up safely. Grabbing his coat and throwing it across his right shoulder, he locked up his office and left, his brown work briefcase swinging faintly in his hand. Exiting the building, he quietly got in his car and turned it on, putting his things in the passenger seat. Backing out of the parking space, he quickly drove on home.

Driving into a lonely neighborhood, he drove up the quiet street to where the houses slowly grew in size. Slowing down near a large house with a tall black ornamental gate around it, he drove up to the gate doors and pressed a button on the dashboard. The huge gate doors creaked open and Sasuke entered. Going up the brick patterned drive way, he parked in the two car garage and went inside. Disabling the alarm, he yawned and dropped his stuff in the kitchen. Walking up one of the two huge stairways the dissected the main entryway, he veered to the right wing and opened the last door of the hallway. Entering his bedroom, he pulled off his tie and dropped it on the foot of the bed. Going into the bathroom, he stripped and began to shower. Lathering up, he rinsed, dried off and got into bed, the cool sheets feeling clean and fresh on his naked skin. Settling down, his obsidian eyes opened up and stared at the bumpy ceiling. Propping his hands behind his head, the black sheets slid down to midway on his chest. In his mind, he meticulously planned out his agenda for the next day.

_Naruto works from 12 pm to 6 pm. He works at a restaurant and does a shift daily. After that, he goes to the gym for two hours. Finishing there, he heads home, eats dinner, and around nine watches T.V. before going to sleep. His neighbors on either side are two elderly people and the neighbor across from his flat are never home. The apartment complex across from his building has a perfect view of his room. The window is only lightly covered by a thin drape and should be see through, especially with the T.V. light shining through. I'll enter the room with the best view, kill him with the rifle that has the silencer, and leave. Simple. _

Satisfied with his plan, he turned on his side and went to sleep.

**xXx**

Naruto Uzumaki woke up to the sun shining brightly across his face. Groggily, he squinted in the blinding light and raised and arm to shield his blue eyes. Turning to the alarm clock sitting on the dresser next to his bed, his eyes popped wide open to see that he was late.

"Aw shit! I'm going to be late!"

Leaping out of bed, he yanked off his wife beater and kicked off his orange boxers; he stumbled as they got tangled around his ankles. Running in to the bathroom, he jumping into the shower and twisted the knob, yelping when cold water hit him. Showering as fast as he could, he shut off the water and ran back into his room. Scrubbing his hair with a white towel, he raided his drawers for a clean pair of boxers. Finding his last one, he pulled it on and tugged on his socks. Finding a blue shirt, he wrenched it on and popped his head out of the collar, cursing when he realized it was inside out. Fixing it, he put on a decently clean pair of pants and located his black Reeboks. Stepping into them, he stuffed the laces inside the shoe and sprinted into his kitchen.

Opening the pale brown cabinets, he pulled out a cup of ramen, put water in it, and shoved it into the microwave. Punching in three minutes, he went into his living room and grabbed his gray cargo jacket off of the floor. Hoping the ketchup stain on the front wasn't too noticeable, he put it on and jogged back into the kitchen. Snatching a fork from the silverware drawer under the microwave, he stabbed it into the steaming hot noodles he stopped early and stuffed it into his mouth, wincing as it burned him. Seizing his keys from the key bowl, he scampered out the door and locked it. The green paint chipped door let out a clunking sound as the bolt slid into place. Running down several flights of stairs of his apartment, he waved hello to the people he was passing by. Bursting through the double doors of the apartment complex, he stood on the edge of the sidewalk and flailed his arm around, waving down a taxi. Stuffing down the last of the shrimp noodles, he chucked the cup in the green metal garbage can next to the streetlight and jumped into the cab.

"Where ya off too?" The gruff taxi driver inquired the disheveled blond. He twisted around in the beaded chair and glared at the blond.

"Ichiraku's! And step on it, old man! I'm going to be late!"

Scoffing at the impatient youth, the cab driver turned in his seat and took off, speeding a little to settle the agitated blond in his car.

Tapping his feet, Naruto played with his fingers. _Oh man, if I'm late again, I might get fired. Shit, this is the only job I've managed to hold on to for so long. If I fuck this up, I'll never be able to save enough to open my own chain. _He looked out the window._ If only my dad hadn't set the inheritance age to be 22. Just a few more months and it's mine; I'll open my own restaurant and sell the best damn noodles anyone has ever tasted. It'll be a hell of a lot better than this places' frozen shit. I just hope I make it on time._

The cab slowed to a stop. There had been an accident and a huge traffic jam was piled up. A man with a bicycle was arguing with another man while cars everywhere were angrily honking. Unperturbed, the cab driver hummed along with the song on the radio and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Naruto groaned. He didn't have time for this! Thrusting open the door, he threw the required money at the startled man and apologized.

"Sorry old man, I don't have time for this! Thanks for the ride!"

Taking off on foot, he jumped over a small kid and nearly ran into an old lady. Apologizing profusely as he ran backwards awkwardly, he turned and dashed down the crowded sidewalk, weaving past all the pedestrians. Spotting the familiar restaurant, he ran even faster. Slamming the doors open once he arrived, he sprinted past all of the annoyed waitresses and slipped into the kitchen. Going into the small nearby room with rusted beige metal lockers, he opened his and pulled out his required uniform. A tight cap with a noodle bowl on the front and a red apron. Tugging them on, he quickly went to the stoves.

Taking out silver pots and pans, he yanked out packets of frozen noodles and recently washed vegetables and set to work. A hand came out of nowhere and punched his arm viciously.

"Ow, fuck! What the hell, Kiba!?"

Kiba, his best friend, stood there, holding a bowl of freshly diced red tomatoes in one hand and a knife in the other. Kiba had short brown hair held back in a hairnet and had two upside down red triangles on his face, directly underneath his eyes. Partying hard and then walking drunkenly to a tattoo parlor had its consequences. His dark eyes glared at the injured blond.

"Where the hell were you, you retard?! I had to cover for your ass again! Tsunade almost fucking killed me!"

Naruto winced.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I stayed up late last night."

"This is like the eighth time, Naruto. I can't keep lying to cover for your stupid ass every single time. She's bound to notice that you don't come on time."

"I know, I know. But I can't help it. Shit happens and I can't calm down. Then, when I finally fall asleep, the goddamn nightmares hit and goodbye sleep."

Kiba set the bowl down and looked over at him, concern on his face. Helping the tired blond out, he diced up more vegetable and set the noodles to boil.

"They're back? Why now? It's been forever since you've had them."

"I don't know, they come and go. Yesterdays were a bit more brutal than usual, and I-"

"NARUTO!"

A well-endowed woman burst through the swinging doors leading into the kitchen. Wearing a green blouse with a pair of dress pants, the woman stalked into the room and glared around for the terrified blond. Spotting him, she marched over to him and jabbed a finger on his chest.

"Naruto! Where were you when I was calling for you earlier?!"

"I was here! I've been here all along, I probably was just in the bathroom. Ask Kiba, he knows!"

"Yea, Naruto was here and-"

"Kiba, I don't need your input. I know Naruto wasn't here earlier. And I know he's been coming in late a lot. Look Naruto, I'm sorry, but you're done. Clean out your locker and leave the key with Shizune."

Naruto gaped in shock at the busty woman. His hands beginning to shake, he felt them go clammy. His heart dropped in his chest and met up with his paralyzed feet.

"What?! NO! I swear I won't be late again! I swear!"

"Tsunade, he was here, I swear he was, just-!"

"Kiba! One more word and you'll be joining him." The brunette fell silent, looking beseechingly at Naruto.

Turning to the shell shocked blond, she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I honestly gave you time to change, but you didn't. No, don't argue, I'm not changing my mind. Just leave."

Numbly, Naruto nodded and bowed his head. Tsunade walked away after taking his hat and apron. Avoiding Kiba's eyes, he went to the now sad looking locker and grabbed his stuff. Dropping the keys off with the restaurant's co-owner, Shizune, he walked out onto the street. The beautiful morning sky had darkened and become gray. Fat, heavy raindrops began to fall around him.

Opening the orange umbrella from his locker, he stared at the ground as he slowly made his way home. The chattering of the pedestrians around him faded out as he tried not to panic. Watching his scruffy shoes walk on the wet concrete, he swallowed deeply and nervously gripped his umbrella. _What am I supposed to do now? I have enough stashed up to keep my place for a few more months, but adding food and water expenses….Aw shit. _Making his way home sluggishly, he walked up the stairs and went into his room. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it. Sighing, he rubbed his face and looked around the flat. His kitchen was directly to the left; it was small and modest. He was sort of a clean guy, so no dirty dishes were piled up. The living room was to the right and had a couch and a loveseat facing an old TV. A long glass coffee table sat in front of them, courtesy of his old flat-mate. Facing the front door was his bedroom door.

Pushing himself off of the door, he walked over to his bedroom and flopped onto his bed. Not bothering to change, he simply laid there, falling asleep after a while.

**xXx**

"No ma'am. A lawsuit cannot be filed for a simple complaint. I understand that you were bothered by it, but it cannot be done. …_No_, I don't have a girlfriend and I don't have a need for one."

The woman finally leaving after nearly two hours of incessant blathering and eye fluttering, Sasuke stared after her and scoffed. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he shook his head.

"The stupidity of some people."

Downing the last of his lukewarm coffee, he glanced over at the clock on the wall. _8:45._ _He should be eating around now. Time to move. _Standing up, he went over the office door and locked it.

Opening the secret panel, he went inside and this time unlocked a panel from the right wall. Reaching inside, he removed a disassembled rifle with a silencer, a pistol, and his personal favorite, a Beretta 92fs. Placing them in the briefcase, he closed up and left. Heading over to Kakashi's office, he went inside and stopped at the desk. The silver haired man was unsurprisingly nowhere to be found, but on the desk was a small bronze key with a piece of scrap paper underneath it. Slipping the key into his pocket, he read over the note. _Room 42. _

Arriving at the apartment, Sasuke slipped into the building and quietly asked for his room, showing the key he had. Riding the elevator up to it, he recalled the blond's room layout. The room Kakashi had gotten him was picked for the clear view it had of the target's flat. Going up to the pale yellow door, he inserted the key and went inside. He went straight to the window, peeked out and searched for the kid's window. Through a set of old blinds that were nearly hanging off, he saw that the blond was asleep on the bed. Perfect. Assembling the rifle, he glanced up and saw that the blond haired man was no longer in his bedroom. _Wait, where did he go?_

Getting out the binoculars, he peered through them and saw that the man had a guest. Lips pressing in a thin line, Sasuke sighed. _Looks like I'm going to be here for a while. Might as well clean the rifle while I wait. _Breaking down the rifle, he took out a rag and some cleaning fluid and began to carefully clean it.

**xXx**

Having fallen deep into a dreamless sleep, Naruto was pulled from his sweet world of unconsciousness to hear the doorbell ringing. Sleepily getting up, he rubbed his eye with a closed fist and made his way through the darkened flat to the door. Cracking it open, he saw Kiba standing there with bottles of vodka. Smiling, he pulled it all the way open.

"Hey man."

"Hey. I figured you were feeling down, so I bought booze to get shit-faced. You in?

Naruto cocked his head. "Don't you have to work tomorrow?"

"Nope. Shino has the shift so I can get plastered with you. So you in or are you gonna be a little bitch?"

Chuckling, Naruto felt his previous dark mood lift slightly and grabbed a bottle. Nodding his head, he let the brunette in.

An hour later, they were both sitting on the floor arguing about how dinosaurs would be if they still existed.

"No, no. It's like 'he Flintstones! You'd use 'em for everythin'!"

Naruto shook his head, his vision swimming a bit. He wasn't drunk yet, just tipsy, but Kiba had downed one bottle of vodka and could barely talk. "They would fuckin' eat you. They can't be domesticated."

Kiba glared at him, hiccupping slightly. "No they wouldn't. Dogs n cats' don't eat us."

"It's because they've been domesticated!"

Before Kiba could respond, the doorbell rang again. Kiba cursed at the door, mumbling incoherent things. Blinking, he slowly slid to the side and laid down, passing out. Standing up, Naruto answered the door. A man holding a pizza box stood there. A hideously yellow baseball cap hid his face.

"Delivery for a Mr. Naruto Uzumaki?

Naruto frowned and looked at the greasy box in the man's hands. "I didn't order anything."

The man pushed the box onto Naruto's stomach, slightly stepping into the flat.

"It was a gift. Take it."

Pushing back, Naruto was skeptical. No one ever bought him anything and he was taught not to trust strangers.

"Well, no thank you. You can have it."

"No, you have to take it!"

Shoving Naruto aside, the man entered the flat. Naruto angrily shoved the man towards the door.

"Dude, take the fucking pizza and leave. Get out!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Mr. Uzumaki."

The man reached into the pizza box and removed a gun. Pointing it at Naruto, he smiled cruelly. Tilting the hat up, he revealed his face. His bright green eyes feverishly stared at Naruto from his dark skinned face. His mouth, tattooed to look sewn shut, twisted into a cruel smile. Cocking the gun, he aimed it at Naruto's head.

"The Akatsuki send their regards."

**xXx**

Sasuke flushed the toilet and zipped up his pants. Washing his hands in the small dirty bathroom, he grimaced at his reflection in the grimy mirror. Leave it to Kakashi to give a shitty room. Strolling back to the window, he took up post and looked though the scope. The blond and his friend were still talking and drinking. _Enjoy your drink Uzumaki. It'll be the last one you'll ever have. _Eyes narrowing, he saw sunshine get up and answer the door. Annoyed at having more interruptions, he rolled his eyes and waited. He warily watched as what appeared to be a delivery man came forcibly into the flat. Getting a tingling sensation running down his spine, he loaded the rifle. His instincts were never wrong and right now, they were screaming loudly. _Something is about to go down._

Focusing on the pizza man, Sasuke squinted as something glinted in his peripherals. Using the mounted scope on the rifle as a binocular, he turned and focused on the glint. Shocked, he saw another sniper on the roof of a building close by. The angle his position was pointed directly at the same spot where Sasuke's was. _What?..._ His gut warning him, he spun back to Naruto's room and saw the pizza man pull out a gun and aim it at the blond. _Fuck , what do I do?..…! _His eyes narrowed down into slits_. _Having not recognized the man at first, he now realized who the suspicious man was.

Immediately, he called forth a wealth of information about the person. Kakuzu. A longtime member of the Akatsuki and never far from his partner Hidan, Kakuzu was a violent bounty hunter with a bloody past. He was known to rip out his victim's hearts out with his bare hands and keep them; he would stitch the hearts onto puppet dolls another member had made him, keeping them like trophies. Lusting heavily for money, Kakuzu would take the jobs with the highest amount; he often would refuse to take a job if no money was to be gained. He and his partner were always fighting, but worked flawlessly together, making them a deadly force to be reckoned with. The information ticked by, like data from a computer.

_What the fuck is he doing here? Why is he after my target…..?_ Eyes darting between the two men, he knew he had to act fast. It was quickly boiling down to two choices. Save the blond and find out why Kakuzu was there and hopefully getting a lead, or collect his money and leaving no witnesses….. Scowling, he made a decision. _The blond might have some sort of connection with the Akatsuki, making finding _him_ much easier. And if anything goes wrong, I could always just kill sunshine and get the money anyway._ Getting down on one knee, he raised the gun and aimed. Putting Kakuzu in his crosshairs, Sasuke pulled the trigger. The bullet shot out of his open window with a small amount of noise thanks to the silencer, pierced through the blond's window cleanly and buried itself deep in the man's chest cavity.

Sasuke reveled in his shot. Kakuzu was a nearly impossible target. He was rarely seen outside the Akatsuki hideouts and was never an easy shot; taking him out was undoubtedly satisfying. Quickly dismissing the rush of pride, Sasuke forced himself to focus. Sasuke twisted in the other direction and smoothly fired another shot at the sniper hiding on the roof. Managing to clip the guy in the shoulder, he reloaded with an incredible speed and looked for the blond. As soon as the blond popped up in the scope, the window pane he was using erupted into a shower of splinters.

Naruto stood paralyzed as the man spoke and aimed the gun at him. Closing his eyes, he waited for the shot. Upon feeling nothing, he opened his eyes in time to see the man go down in pain. Clutching his stomach, the man moaned as blood gushed out of the wound. Trembling, Naruto's mouth dropped open. His heart pounding furiously, he stepped back in horror. _What the fuck just fucking happened!? Jesus Christ, the man was about to shoot me! Holy fuck, what do I do!?_

Sasuke cursed and leapt away from the window. _That motherfucker is shooting at me? You goddamn son of a bitch, your ass is mine. _Grabbing the rifle and hiding in the shadows of the room, he took aim and smoothly shot down his assailant. Noticing movement in Naruto's building, he saw that more men had run into the blond's flat, all armed. Calmly taking aim, Sasuke shot them down, one by one. _Why the hell are they so desperate to kill sunshine? What do they want? Fuck, there's more now._

"Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way."

With lightning speed, he broke down the rifle and took out his Beretta. Kicking the rifle case into a hidden compartment in the room, he quietly slipped out of the room and took the stairs down. Thankful that the blond lived in a less populated area and that it was night, Sasuke left his apartment and discreetly crossed the street and went into the building, unseen, a phantom in the night.

Naruto ran to the door, only to be blocked by several big burly men. One of them with a black cap on shoved him to the ground and he fell with solid thump. Staring up at the intruders with wide, terrified eyes, he swallowed dryly, feeling his heartbeat race unhealthily. Sweat slid down the side of his face as several guns were directed at him.

"He fucking shot Kakuzu! The little bastard! Hidan is not going to be happy about this." One of them nudged the limp corpse still bleeding out on the floor.

"Give us the key and we won't kill ya." Another spoke to him.

_Give them what they want! Give it to them!_ Naruto's mind screamed at him to please the intruders. _But I don't know what the fuck they are talking about! What fucking key!?_

"W-what k-key? I d-don't have a-a key."

The black capped one closed in on the blond, aiming the gun at Naruto's crotch.

"Tell us where the key is or I blow ya fucking dick off. Ya know what we're talking about."

Squeaking, Naruto tried to edge away, but another click of a gun kept him in place. His heart beat unnaturally heavy in his ears.

"I d-don't know what you're talking about!" He yelped out.

His blood ran cold and fear spiked down his spine as all of the men cocked their guns.

"Okay then. We tried to play nice, now ya die."

All at once, the black capped one fell, a small bloody hole appearing by his neck. Stunned, the other men slowly went down as they too, were shot.

Feeling the world spin around him, Naruto violently vomited; his abdomen heaving harshly with each hurl. His body was shaking uncontrollably and he had cold sweat all over his body. Hearing footsteps running up in his direction, he whimpered and scooted away. His hand falling on the butt of a gun, he tentatively picked it up and held it limply. _What, are you really going to shoot someone? _His consciousness desperately tried to make sense of the carnage around him, but it was futile. The footsteps reached the door. Standing in the empty doorway, there was a tall man with dark glasses and a huge gun in his hands.

Stomping in, the man brought up the gun and surveyed the bloodshed around him. He appeared unaffected by it.

"You see that Mr. Uzumaki?... That is the look of inevitability... It is the sight of your death... Goodbye, Mr. Uzumaki..."

"Wait! NO!" Forgetting that he held a gun, Naruto's heart skipped several beats.

The tall man took aim. Suddenly, two black gloved hands came out of nowhere. One reached across the tall man's throat and sliced a wide, jagged, bloody grin across it, severing the windpipe and the right carotid artery while the other held the head in place. Blood spurted out, giving everything a nice coating of warm, red rain. The hand on the man's skull pulled back, ripping open the wound to the point that the spinal cord was visible and shoved the body down. The man gave his last breath and fell to the floor, face first into a pool of his own life fluid twitching. Standing where the man had been, was another lean man who was wiping blood off of the thick serrated blade in his hand. He had on a long dark coat and had spikey midnight hair. Deeming it clean enough, the man closed the switch blade and slid it into his coat pocket. With piercingly dark eyes and porcelain pale skin, he strolled over to the paralyzed, blood covered smaller man, and outstretched a gloved hand.

The thin lips on the pale man opened and he spoke, his voice smooth and dangerous.

"Come with me if you want to live."

**A/N: Reviews are helpful, yes?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Target**

Ch. 3- Deal or no Deal?

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for supporting this story so far :D. Bring some money and read on!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. If I was his creator, I'd never let him go. **

**_~xXx Beta'd by: Jhalamae xXx~_**

The blond stared at him, his hands trembling. The man had just sliced the throat of another and was acting like it was nothing. _Is he going to kill me? But he just said to go with him if I wanted to live, so…..he's not going to kill me? Jesus, what the hell is going on!?_

The raven appeared to get impatient and rolled his eyes. Grabbing onto Naruto's upper arm harshly, he yanked it up and forced Naruto to stand up on his shaky feet. Striding over to the window, Sasuke stuck his fingers in the blinds and stretched them apart, creating a small space for him to look through. He peeked out and saw more cars approaching the apartment building through the darkened streets. The doors opened and more men came out, weapons glinting in the moonlight. Cursing, Sasuke shut the blinds and shoved the still in shock blond towards the door.

"Get your ass moving, they're coming!"

"Wait, what about Kiba?!" Naruto tried to twist around to get back into the apartment and wake his friend, but Sasuke grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him back out.

"They're after you, not your friend, dumbass."

Shutting the door behind him, Sasuke quickly went to the stairs at the end of the hall and started jogging down them. Glancing back, he saw that Naruto wasn't following him. Gritting his teeth, he ran back up and saw the smaller man shaking and staring at the ground near the stairway. _I do not have time for this._ Going back to him, Sasuke seized his shoulders and roughly shook him.

"Hey!" He barked. "Do you want to fucking die?"

His words seemed to shock Naruto out of his thoughts and give him a slap of sense. Shaking his head, Naruto looked down at his bloody self and hesitated before whispering.

"…No."

"Then hurry the fuck up. The police are going to be here soon."

Again going down the stairs, Sasuke made sure to avoid any of the cameras nearby. Naruto was covered in blood and there were dead men littering the floor in his apartment. That, along with the loud gunshots, was bound to have attracted some attention. They needed to get out _fast._ Smirking, Sasuke thought of his client. _Someone's not going to be happy about this. They can rule out quickly and quietly. _Reaching the last set of stairs, he stopped. Holding back a hand to keep Naruto from being seen, he peered into the desolate lobby and saw no one besides a receptionist texting on her phone with her earphones blaring music loudly. Tilting his head to the side, he could vaguely see some men clamoring outside, searching the exits. Wanting to avoid any more bloodshed and attention, Sasuke stepped out into the lobby, but headed towards the back door, keeping close to the walls of the building. The receptionist saw nothing. He briskly entered the dim alleyway and tugged Naruto with him. A grey alley cat screeched at them, its yellow eyes flashing angrily; it leapt off of the trash bins it had been scavenging on and ran off to the street. Sasuke followed the cat and made it back to the main road. Carefully watching for any men with guns, he hid in the shadows of the nearby buildings and made his way to his car. He had parked in the parking lot of another building, making sure that no one had seen him go into the apartment complex.

Naruto was scared, but was determined to follow the stranger. So far everyone was trying to kill him, but this stranger wasn't. The man was actually protecting him. Relieved to find some sort of comfort in his now turned upside down life, he tagged closely behind the mystery man and kept an eye out for danger. His mind was yearning for someone to tell him what the hell was going on, but he resisted the urge to ask lean man The man appeared to be trigger happy and Naruto was not about to piss him off. Licking his lips, he nervously whispered.

"Um, where are we going?"

The raven-haired man spared him a slight glance.

"My car."

"W-why?"

The man snorted. "You want to stick around and wait for these guys to find you? You don't have a car, I do."

Naruto pondered the information while following the man. _How does he know I don't have a car? Kiba has a car, how does he know it isn't mine? Where is he taking me? Is he part of their group? But he killed them. Did he double cross them? Is he leading me into some sort of trap? Gah! So many questions!_ Refusing to dwell on them, he pushed them aside to be fully concentrated on later, when his life wasn't in danger. Nearing the parking lot of a building a block down from his, he saw a sleek black ride sitting in the midst of shitty ones.

The man discreetly made his way over to the car and quietly opened the driver side. Getting in, he reached over and opened the passenger side door. He shoved it open and motioned for the blonde to get in. Naruto got in and clutched his knees nervously. His eyes darting around, he licked his lips and tried to keep his hands from shaking too badly. The man smoothly started the car and drove out into the road. He glanced over at the lean stranger and watched as the street lights flashed rectangular beams of light against his profile. The man's face was flat and cold, showing no emotion whatsoever. He gripped the steering wheel nonchalantly, belying the severity of their situation. His dark eyes stared ahead, cold and distant. The raven appeared to be absolutely in control and dangerous, even more so than his attackers. Consciously aware that he had been staring for a long time, Naruto turned away and watched the street. His eyes followed the green street signs flashing by and his previously pushed aside thoughts came back with a vengeance and bombarded his mind. _Where are we going? Who is this guy? What did those men want? What key where they talking about…_ Unable to find the answer to them by himself, he worked up the courage and picked a question from the mountain in his head to ask the man.

"Hey…what's your name?"

The man glanced at him, his dark eyes boring into his blue ones. Turning back around, the he watched the road in front of him, the dark orbs ever vigilant.

"Hn."

Offended that the man didn't bother answering, Naruto glared at him and leaned back into his seat. Fidgeting, he crossed and uncrossed his arms, played with the hem of his shirt, drummed his fingers on the car door handle, tugged on his seatbelt, and kept glancing over at the quiet man.

Sasuke gripped the steering wheel tighter, his pale hands stark against the black leather of the cover. His eyes darting around, he watched out for any signs of police cars or any suspicious activity. He allowed his eyes to quickly steal a fleeting glance at the blond. The smaller man seemed too pale, but otherwise seemed okay, considering his situation. He kept annoyingly moving around and fidgeting; unable to stay still for a while. Sasuke wrote it off as shock. Concentrating on the road in front of him, he recalled the map he had memorized. He had excellent retention ability; able to commit to memory anything he wished. Since he was in an unfamiliar city, it was an excellent asset to have. Hearing a long, deep sigh come from his passenger, he pressed his lips together and scowled. _In three, two, one..._

"If you're not going to tell me your name, can you at least tell me where we're going?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and decided he would answer this question.

"Somewhere."

Naruto stared at the pale profile in disbelief. As much as he was grateful to the man for saving him from dying, the guy was just being a smartass. He looked down at his jeans and picked at small rip near his knee, pulling on the little strings sticking out. He was quiet for a moment before trying a new approach.

"Okay, and exactly where is somewhere? Is it a house? An apartment? The police station?"

Sasuke smirked and answered honestly, his deep voice sinfully purring out.

"Yes."

The asshole was just fucking with him. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he fumed. Pursing his lips, he crossed his arms and mumbled irritably under his breath, his hand reaching up to rake through his hair occasionally. Rubbing his nose, he faintly smelled cigarettes and something spicy.

After a half an hour of driving in tense silence, Sasuke pulled the car into a dilapidated looking motel on the outskirts of the city. The giant yellow motel sign flickered on and off in the night; part of the red letters weren't turning on and others only half way. A few cars were parked sparingly in the lot, a clear difference from the tightly packed congestion from the inner city. The motel itself looked worse for the wear. It was all one floor and the layout in the shape of an "L". The doors were a chipped blue color with rusted bronze door knobs and room numbers. Dark green mildew stains thrived under the dirty windows and surrounded the outdated air conditioning boxes sticking out. An old Texaco gas station sat next to the miserable excuse for a habitat. The harsh, white light glared from the inside of the small store in the station, creating odd shadows in the night. A filthy man sat outside the store on the curb smoking a cigarette and talking vehemently to himself.

Naruto gazed uncomfortably around the parking lot, his blue eyes judging everything suspiciously. He had always been warned to stay in the city; most muggings and murders tended to happen in these types of places. Watching scary movies about said situations didn't help. He fought down the hysteria bubbling inside of him that was threatening to come out. Nervously scratching his neck and hyperventilating slightly, he turned back to his stoic partner. _Calm down, calm down…._

"…What are we doing here?"

He asked as politely as he could, making sure to keep the suspicion and anxiety he felt out of his voice. The black haired man turned to him, his fathomless eyes unreadable and staring at him with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. The raven broke the gaze and looked away, turning his attention to his seat belt.

"This is where we'll be spending the night." His voice implied the conversation was over.

Getting out of the car, he shut the door roughly behind him and strode over to the motel lobby, stepping around the potholes filled with water that littered the cracked ground. Edgy, Naruto followed the raven closely. Sasuke entered the lobby and stepped over to the reception desk.

A lone guy manned the desk. A gruff, gristly middle aged man with five-o clock shadow and a receding hair line stood sweating with a small fan rotating in his face. He was munching on fried chicken and held a gray pen in his greasy hand. Watching as the lean man walked up, he gave a slight nod towards the parking lot.

"Hey man, nice ride. Name?"

"Hebi."

The man chuckled slightly, a deep throaty sound. "If you say so." Wiping his hand poorly on his shirt, he took out a ledger and opened it up, writing the name in. Grease spots dotted the page. He then took out a small bronze key and held his hand out for the required money.

"Right, right. Well, better lock it up tight. Ain't no tellin with the folks we got runnin around here."

Sasuke paid and took the greasy key from the man with a scowl of disgust and made his way back outside. Glancing up at the room numbers, he searched for his room. A door creaked open in front of him and out stepped a woman. She had bright, spikey red hair, and makeup caked on her face. She had on a tight purple lace bra with black string hanging down and a black miniskirt that was molded to her skinny frame. The hooker had an elaborate tattoo of a man's name on her chest over her heart and had on a blue naval stone. Her horrendously red lips pouted out and her red eyes eyed the lean man over her red-framed glasses. She stuck her leg out; her black fishnet stockings ending in worn black pumps.

"I've never seen a man who looks so all alone; could you use a little company? If you pay the right price, I promise your evening will be nice."

She slid a thin arm across his chest, stroking his shirt. Sasuke simply picked her hand off of him and glared at her and he continued on his way. Undeterred, the woman spotted Naruto and smiled. Batting her eyes at the blond, she slithered over to him and wrapped a reedy arm around his neck.

"What about you, sugar? Wanna have a little fun?"

"Umm, no thanks…"

Naruto carefully extracted her arm from his neck and followed the lean man to their room. The woman looked at the retreating men curiously. Her face suddenly lit up, as if she had discovered something shiny.

"Oh, you boys are _together_."

Naruto stopped and looked at her in surprise. "N-no, we're not, we just-"

She smiled at him and tugged on her brassiere. "Trust me, babycakes. I didn't see it at first, but now that I've a got look 'atcha, I can tell you boys are about as straight as a hula hoop." She turned her attention to her door. Locking it, she slid the key into a small handbag strapped to her wrist. "You take care now; tell your man to cage the snake, then shake and bake." She then pointed at her face. "You also might want to wipe off that red paint."

Walking off, she swung her bag nonchalantly and hummed to herself, leaving a shocked blond behind. Naruto shook his head and let out an uneasy chuckle. Turning around, he jogged to catch up with the stranger.

Thrusting open the blue door, Sasuke stepped inside, followed by a nervous blond. The room had a small kitchen with a miniature fridge and a small stove on a small tiled square by the door. The rest of the grimy room was carpeted. The walls were a dirty yellow color with various discoloration spots. Further ahead, there was a single thigh high bed facing an old, dusty, thick TV on a dresser. The sheets had faded red and white floral prints and flat pillows hidden underneath. The grubby white night stand beside the bed had an old bible on it, along with an ancient corded phone with chipped number buttons. The carpet was a pale khaki color with various stains and crumbs littered around. It had unfortunately been the sole witness to things that should have never been seen or done. A small round table with an eclectic of deep scratches sat in the far left corner, with several creaky wooden chairs surrounding it. A single loveseat was in the right corner, close to the bed. Washed-out pictures of sunny days hung sadly on the walls, tilting to the side. Sasuke yanked off his coat and deposited it on the sofa. He dropped down on the bed lazily; one leg was leaning off the bed and the other was propped up. The raven crossed his hands behind his back and closed his eyes.

Naruto stood off to the side and stared at the taller man. He brought up a hand to scratch at his arm and he looked around the dingy room. Biting his lower lip, he edged closer to the man.

"So where am I supposed to sleep?"

Sasuke cracked open an eye and stared at the blond. His black hair fell onto his face, blocking out one dark eye. He smirked humorlessly.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Reaching back, he tugged out a pillow and placed it behind his head. Leaning up, he unlaced his black Gusto Oxfords, reached down and placed them on the floor together at the bottom bed post. He removed his tie and draped it on the headboard. His white shirt was stuck to him like a second skin, outlining his lean and supple body structure. He then turned off the intense light of the lamp above the bed, laid back, and was quiet.

Naruto gazed around the darkened room searching for somewhere to sleep. Light from the sign outside and from the gas station bled in through the gray drapes covering the window next to the door. Using that light, he maneuvered past all the furniture carefully. The bed was obviously occupied, so it was ruled out. The floor was disgusting, so hell no. The chairs near the table were a horrible idea. That left the love seat next to the bed. Tired and weary, Naruto capitulated and went over to the gray chair. He plopped down into it and toed off his black Reeboks. The seat allowed for a small amount of turning, letting Naruto curl up on his side. Thankful for his smaller stature, Naruto used one of the armrests as a makeshift pillow. Settling down, he realized he was cold. He contemplated asking the raven to give him at least one of the linen sheets from the bed, but knew he most likely would get no answer. Shifting, he felt something draped on the sofa. Blindly patting it, he felt the fabric and realized it was a coat. The raven's coat. Shrugging, he tugged it off and used it as a blanket, burrowing snugly into it. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths, trying to relax his chaotic mind. He was still drunk, he was exhausted, and had no idea what was going on. The scent of something spicy wafted from the coat. Inhaling the tantalizing aroma, he was surprised that the stranger smelled so good. Avoiding thinking about the absolute disarray that had occurred and utterly exhausted, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**xXx**

Groggily blinking his blue eyes awake, Naruto yawned. Wincing at his stiff neck and pained joints, he sat upright and stretched his hands up, hearing his bones crack. The room was still dark, but a beam of bright, warm sunlight had landed on his face and brought him to consciousness. His vision clearing up, he gazed around the room. His eyes widened; the sapphires flitted from side to side, confused. _Where the hell am I? What's going on?! _Standing up on cramped legs, he stumbled and the heavy coat slid off of him, landing with a loud thump on the carpet.

Sasuke's jet black eyes flew open instantly. His hand shot under his pillow with a lightning fast reflex and brought out the small handgun hidden underneath. He swung the gun up to where he had heard the noise and thumbed off the safety and pulled back the hammer in one fluid motion. He flicked on the lamp with his other hand and flooded the room in bright light. Warily looking around, he paused when he only found the blond had been the source of the noise and that there was no immediate danger. Irritated at being woken up, he scowled and pressed the safety back on.

"What the hell are you doing?" He said evenly, his voice oozing out, thick with sleep and irritation.

Naruto stood speechless. He had barely dropped the coat before he was disoriented by blinding light and found a loaded gun pointed at his face. Terrified, he opened and closed his mouth like a fish, unable to make a sound. Remembering yesterday, he was hit hard by the memories. His mind now racing faster than the speed of light, he came up with a valid excuse. His voice finally croaking out, he answered.

"I-I was going to the b-bathroom."

Sasuke glared at the smaller man, his eyes staring out from his dark hair. Blondie just seemed so…weak and innocent. What could he possibly know? His record was absolutely clean. Sasuke didn't want to be here, babysitting some stupid useless blond. He wanted answers, yes, but this was just too much of a bother. _So why don't I kill him? I bet I don't need him to find out why they wanted him dead. I'll get my money and be gone. Simple. _As much as he thought it, he didn't kill the man. Yet. Looking away, he stood up and grabbed his coat off the floor. Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out a small earpiece. He put it on and pressed a small blue button on it. He spoke into it curtly, watching out of the corner of his eye as the blond scampered over to the bathroom.

"Kakashi."

The silver-haired man's sickeningly cheery voice drifted out.

"Good morning, Sasuke. I heard you had a busy night."

"Hn. What have you heard?"

"Well, our sweet client called in demanding to know why your intended target is not dead. He isn't happy. There were also gunshots heard in the target's apartment, along with the discovery of several dead bodies with gunshot wounds, and one with a slit throat. The apartment room I rented is asking for compensation for damages. Care to explain?" The jolly voice had developed a sharp as steel edge, loaded with barbs full of lethal poison.

"Someone else was trying to take him out. They tried taking me out as well. I had to bail out and take blondie with me." He pulled on the tie, deftly tying it in an Eldredge knot.

Kakashi's voice became suspicious. "Someone else? A set up? ….You're with the target? Do you realize what you're putting at stake here?"

Sasuke tied on his shoes and strode over to the window. He shoved the drapes to the side and gazed outside. Nothing had changed from last night besides the sun replacing the moon.

"I might have a lead. I haven't figured anything out yet; we're at some shitty hotel outside the city. I used your card, by the way. I don't have mine."

The mismatched eyes closed in defeat_. Another lead? Yet a new one that's just going to disappoint him. He's never going to let it go….. _ Knowing it would be no use to try and convince the raven change his mind, Kakashi decided to let it pass.

"And how did you get my card?" He asked curiously. After hearing no response from the raven, Kakashi continued. "What are you planning to do? Aren't you going to complete your objective?"

Sasuke pursed his lips, his dark eyes flashing dangerously. "Of course I will. It's just a matter of time." He bit out curtly.

Turning off the device, he ran a hand though his spikey midnight hair and slid into his coat. _Time to find some answers._

Naruto returned from the bathroom. Adjusting his shirt, he scratched his tousled hair. Not meeting the raven's eyes, he stared at the ground, appearing to be inspecting the thin carpet threads. He took a deep breath.

"Hey man, um, I wanted to thank you for saving my ass back there. I would be dead without you. I couldn't have gotten out of that by myself. I'm not really sure why you did it, but I'm really grateful that you did."

Sasuke scowled.

"I mean, you didn't have to, but you did and I'm really grateful."

His right eye twitched.

"I have no idea what's going on, but I'm alive thanks to you."

He clenched his fists.

"I'm glad I got a guy like you here. Well I don't know much about you, but you kept me from getting shot, so I guess you know what you're doing. With your help I think that-"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the smaller man. Irritation building up, he strode over to the blond, grabbed him by the shirt near the collar and slammed him up against the wall, pinning him with one arm.

Surprised, Naruto let out a scared yelp and pulled at the iron-like arm across his chest. His wide azure eyes bore into obsidian ones. The arm edged more towards his neck, nearly choking him. Naruto grabbed the muscular forearm arm and tried to keep it from fully choking him. The raven broke the gaze and looked at the ground, his arm never yielding its heavy pressure.

"Listen here, Uzumaki." Sasuke's ice cold voice hissed out, a deadly tone seeping through. His face was still looking away. "I'm not helping you. I'm not your fucking knight in shining armor." His face turned back to Naruto's, a pale mask without emotion. His hair had drifted forward, hiding one eye behind dark strands while the other pierced Naruto with its coldness. "I'm not the good guy. The reason you're alive is because of a fucking impulse. I don't need you." He brought up his opposite hand. It had the previous gun in it. Tapping it lightly against Naruto's temple, he smirked as the smaller man's eyes followed the weapon's path. "I'm just as bad as the others that were paid to take you out. Or maybe, I'll do the job and pull the damn trigger myself, right between those baby blues." His hand moved and brought the gun in front of Naruto's face, this time pressing it harder on the space between his eyes.

"Saving your ass was a simple whim. Now, why were those men hired to go after you? What is your affiliation with them?"

Naruto grimaced and gripped the arm tighter.

"I…don't know. I thought you knew."

"Don't fuck with me, or you're dead. What did they want? Why you?"

"Why me what? Who are they?! I don't know what you're talking about, God, _I don't know_!" Naruto cried out desperately. He was completely confused, to the point of immense frustration and anger.

Sasuke bore his obsidian orbs into the wide innocent blue ones and scoffed. _So much for a lead. Shit. Blondie is clueless, leaving me back on square one. Fuck._

"I'm done here."

Sasuke dropped his arm and smoothly turned on his heel. He strolled purposely over to the door and pulled it open, his eyes squinting as the sun blasted in his face.

Naruto was scared shitless as the pale man shoved the black gun in his face. Close to pissing himself, he swallowed heavily as the man spoke to him and then let him go. Trembling, he rubbed his tender chest where the man had had his strong arm. His wide blue pools watched the man turn to leave him. _Wait, if he's gone, then I've got nothing. Without him, I'm dead._

"Wait! Stop!"

Naruto cried out at the retreating back. Fisting his hands at his side, he watched the man.

Sasuke froze. Expecting to not hear a peep from the smaller man, he was a bit surprised. Turning back, he regarded the blond with a lifted eyebrow.

Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his neck. _I might as well give it a try…._ "What if I….What if I were to pay you to protect me?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto in disbelief. "And how, pray tell, would you do that?"

Naruto's chin jutted out as he raised his head higher. "I have money." _I don't have it yet, but he doesn't need to know that._

"My services are not cheap."

"I have the money!" Naruto insisted, getting a bit closer to the man. "I do!"

"I doubt you have enough."

Naruto eyes flitted around, desperately thinking of some way to convince the raven. Biting his lower lip, he met the raven's eyes. "What if I paid you twice the amount that those….those guys had for me? You mentioned that it was a job, so you must know how these things work."

"Twice the amount."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _If I do this, the practice could come in handy. I could use the money get better weapons to kill _him _with… But how long would this take? I've never gotten results quickly, so I doubt it'll be fast. Does he actually have enough? _

Naruto nodded heavily, his golden hair flying around. Anxiously waiting for the man's answer, he rolled back on his heels and watched as the raven contemplated his offer.

"For how long?"

Naruto's face blanked. His eyes darting around, Sasuke could clearly see what he was thinking in his eyes. The blond's eyebrows furrowed and he fidgeted.

"Umm until we find out why there are men trying to kill me?

Silence.

Finally, Sasuke decided. His midnight eyes bore into the sapphires. He held out a gloved hand and nodded his head. "Deal."

Naruto tightly grasped his hand and pumped it up and down. Relived, he let out a long gust of breath. _I'm safe….for now. _Letting go of the hand, he thought of something.

"Hey, how did you know where to find me? How did you know those guys were after me?

A cold smirk slid onto the man's face.

"It's simple. I was sent to kill you."

**A/N: I wanna get something straight here. This will be no "damsel in distress" story with Sasuke having to save Naruto because Naruto can't do shit. Fuck that cliché. No wimpy Naruto here. That's all I'm saying for now. :D Any thoughts so far as to what you think is going to happen? Any likes or dislikes? **


	4. Chapter 4

**Target**

Ch. 4- You Wanted Me, Here I Am

**A/N: Bit of an announcement. Its exam time here in college world, so I've going off the radar and studying my ass off. See ya next update :D Bring a car and read on!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. **

**_~xXx Beta'd by: Jhalamae xXx~_**

Naruto gaped at the pale man in disbelief. _But if he was sent to kill me, why would he save me?_ Nervous, he edged away from him, despite the fact that he had just made a deal that would protect him.

"You were sent to kill me? But why? Why me?"

Sasuke's face hardened. "That's what I want to know. What is your connection to the Akatsuki? Why are they after you?"

Naruto plopped down heavily on the bed. He bent down and held his head in his hands and groaned.

"Who?"

Pursing his lips in annoyance, Sasuke glared at the blond. _Is he truly this clueless? Or is he simply acting?_

"There has to be a reason the Akatsuki would be after you. They never go after anyone or anything they deem worthless."

"Who the _fuck_ is Akatsuki!?"

Naruto jerked his head out of his hands and stood up, glaring at the lean man. He felt his anger cool to a simmer as his hot gaze was met with a dark icy one. Reminding himself that the man was not going to hurt him, he held the stare.

"I'm being hunted! I have a right to know who is trying to kill me, and you obviously know more than I do! Tell me!"

Sasuke held the stare for a while longer. His fathomless eyes were inspecting the blond's azure ones. Naruto broke the look and turned away. He sat back down on the bed and sighed heavily. "What the fuck is going on?" he moaned out.

"You want answers? Fine. But we're doing this my way. You follow my rules; no arguing and no disobeying. You must do everything I tell you to, no questions asked. I say something, you better fucking do it."

Naruto glanced up. "Yea, sure. Fine whatever-" He began.

"And I mean _everything_." Sasuke's tone went icy cold, sending warning shivers down the blond's spine.

"Okay! Whatever, just tell me what I need to know!"

"Rule one. As stated before, follow my instructions without arguing or objecting. Rule two. Talk only when I directly speak to you. This includes singing and humming and any other noise you might think of making. Rule three. If you see someone who looks like me, you _tell_ me right away."

Naruto internally rolled his eyes as the man laid down the rules. _Jeez, this guy has a major pole up his ass._ Upon hearing the last part, Naruto's curiosity peeked. Turning his wide blue eyes on the lean man, he cocked his head.

"Wait, what do you mean, some-"

Sasuke cut in sharply. "What was rule two?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. "You were speaking to me, so I assumed that I could an-"

"_What_ was rule two?" Sasuke's voice turned into liquid nitrogen. The arctic tone stopped Naruto from arguing.

"I'm not to speak unless spoken to. God." Naruto answered in a subdued tone.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "Good. Now, we're going somewhere."

"Is it another shitty hotel?"

Sasuke stared at him, the mask hiding his irritation. He bored holes into the blond with his dark eyes. He kept up the look, letting an uncomfortable silence fall between them. Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry."

"We're going somewhere to get you informed on the Akatsuki."

"Wait, why can't you tell me?"

"…Because it's not my job to be your teacher. This way, you'll catch up on things faster than if I were to explain it."

Sasuke strode over to the door and opened it. His eyes searching around, he motioned for the blond to come out with a hand gesture. Locking the room behind him, he turned to the blond and nodded to his car.

"Go wait for me at the car."

Naruto felt a strip of fear pass over him at the thought of being left alone. "Wait, where are you going?"

Sasuke held up the hotel keys and rattled them. "Where the hell do you think? I have to go return these."

Heading towards the motel lobby, he nimbly stepped around the potholes in the tar and entered the building. Naruto headed towards the car. Stepping up to it, he spied his reflection in the mirror. With an expression of disgust and horror, he noticed that the front of his shirt was littered with blood stains. The dark maroon stains appeared to be part of the design of his jacket. His face was thankfully mostly bare of the red liquid. It was dotted along his forehead and was a bit crusted in his hair. His stomach churning unpleasantly, he gagged and looked away quickly. _Why hadn't he showered? Oh right, he woke up to a stranger threatening him with a gun and had forgotten to clean up._ Trying not to dwell on the fact that he was peppered with the blood of dead men, he forced his eyes to look at the lean stranger talking to the old lobby man through the glass wall with posters. _They tried to kill me. I'm alive and they're not. They're the bad guys, so they deserved what was coming to them…_

Sasuke kept his talking to a minimum as he returned the keys and signed out. As the pudgy man stepped to a door beside the desk, Sasuke vaguely heard a familiar name. Turning around, he saw that the TV mounted in the lobby corner was showing the morning news. The familiar anchorwoman was on and was standing at what appeared to be a crime scene. She had on a navy blue suit and had her brown hair in a tight bob.

"Thank you Michael. I'm standing here today where four men were found murdered in the apartment behind me. Three appeared to have been shot and the fourth had his throat cut. The apartment resident, Naruto Uzumaki, has currently gone missing and is a suspected as the murderer. Although the motive is not clear, one person was found alive. Kiba Inuzuka was suspect's best friend and swears that Uzumaki is innocent. Kiba stated that he had been intoxicated and had passed out during the attack; he remembers nothing of what might have happened and is currently being held in the city jail undergoing investigation and interrogation. Now, we see here that…"

Sasuke had frozen as he watched. His eyes stuck to the TV screen, he casually leaned against a wall and appeared to be watching the news as he waited. _Fuck. This just got more complicated. The friend was out cold by the time I appeared, so it's unlikely that he saw or remembers me. This means sunshine will be wanted by the police. If he gets in their hands, the Akatsuki will have no problem dispensing of him. _His obsidian eyes narrowed as he watched the rest of the broadcast.

The picture of Naruto's bloody apartment switched to a clip of Kiba being hauled into a police station. He was stumbling around and was coated with blood. It clumped his brown hair into maroon bundles and stained his face. His normally tan skin was now pale. Two police officers had his upper arms in tight grips and were pulling him through the glass double doors. Tripping over his own feet and almost falling down, Kiba tried to jerk out of the grip and properly stand, but the officers were relentless. The doors swung shut and cut off any more view. Three officers in navy outfits came down to disperse the crowd that had converged at the entrance. They pushed civilians away and shoved a hand into the camera lens, blocking any view. The news woman came back on and added a few more facts before cutting to a commercial.

"…Hn."

**xXx**

The sounds of papers being shuffled and ringing phones permeated the air. The heavy, warm smell of black coffee and sweet doughnuts drifted into Kiba's nose as he was dragged into an interrogation room by his arms. The room had mirrors on both sides of the thick walls. The back wall had a black cushioned texture and had small cameras mounted in the corners. A silver rectangular table sat in the middle of the room. Two steel chairs sat opposite each other; one had restraints on the arm rests and chains on the legs. The side of the table with the chained chair had handcuffs chained directly to the surface; small scratches were grooved into the table near the cuffs. A porcelain white coffee mug sat on the table. Wispy trails of steam drifted up and slowly dispersed in the air above the rim. The unfriendly gray room had white speckled tiled floor and a dark gray ceiling. A lone halogen lamp hung down from the ceiling and focused the disk of light on the table.

Kiba was shoved crudely into the cold chair by the officers. They clamped their hands on his shoulders and pushed him down hard. Disoriented by their shoving and blinded by the bright light, Kiba winced and blinked rapidly. The officers left the room and shut the door behind the roughly. Groaning, Kiba rubbed his face and shook his head. _Naruto, what the fuck happened? What the hell is going on? Did you kill those guys? Why? How? I swear if you did this, I'm gonna kill you. Fucking hell, my head hurts. _Shivering, he realized that the room was actually really cold. The stinging freezing temperature of the chair seeped through his pants and made his legs and ass cheeks go numb quickly.

The metal doors creaked open as a tall man in a dark business suit came in. Kiba ignored the urge to look up into the man's face and kept his gaze on the table. The man walked over to the table and sat down opposite of him; he placed a wide manila folder down. Naruto's name was printed on the side tab. The man placed his hands on the table and wove his fingers together. Out of his peripherals, Kiba saw that the stranger was wearing an expensive Rolex watch with a wide face. The hand underneath the watch was a peach color. The nails were neatly cut and flawless.

"What happened?"

Kiba felt his temper rise. He had been questioned by everyone and every time it was the same fucking question. He had answered the same stupid question countless times and was tired of having repeated it. Oh sure, asking him fifty fucking more times might make him miraculously remember! Genius! Still averting his face, he answered brusquely and in a clipped tone.

"Like I told all your little buddies who probably told you the same thing, I don't know."

"Mr. Inuzuka, please understand. Mr. Uzumaki is in a grave predicament. He faces charges of first degree murder and life in prison. All evidence points to him as the murderer. Yet somehow, he doesn't kill the only person that was with him that is able to incriminate him."

"That's because it wasn't him!"

"So what you're saying is that you know who did it?"

"What? No! I'm saying that I know Naruto and I know he isn't capable of doing something like this! He didn't do anything!"

Upon hearing himself argue over the innocence of his best friend, Kiba began to wonder if it was possible that Naruto did murder them. But then why leave him alive?

"On the contrary. Mr. Uzumaki has a small history of being… dangerous." The man lightly tapped the folder. "We have here records that indicate that Mr. Uzumaki isn't the clean and innocent man you portray him to be. The files were hidden and almost impossible to find. On the computer he's clean, but on paper, he has a trail."

"What the hell are you talking about? Naruto is the nicest guy I know, he wouldn't-"

"But did you know him before he came to this city?" Kiba fell silent. "I thought not. You see, during his school years, his parents were always drifting from place to place. In that time that he traveled with his parents, Naruto would have to start school in every state that he lived in. In those years, Naruto was quite the opposite of what you say he is. Fights would happen almost daily and he would be the one starting them." The investigator watched Kiba closely as he lied carefully. Most of Naruto's history was the complete opposite, but it was a trap to see if Kiba would lie to protect him or actually knew the blond as well as he said he did.

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me. Really? You're taking how he was as a kid to incriminate him now? Fuckin' A, man. I was a bully. You don't see me going around killing people."

"Every person is different and acts in different ways. I am merely demonstrating that he could have-"

"He didn't do it! I have no idea how those men got there or what happened!"

"Just calm down, we just want to-"

"No, don't tell met to calm down! You fucking assholes are trying to blame this on my best friend who may or may not be dead and you fucking retards don't give two shits about him! You don't even have evidence that he did!" Kiba angrily exclaimed.

Suddenly, the door shot open. It slammed into the wall and bounced back. A deep booming voice rang out from a tall thick figure that oozed in, dominating the room.

"Genma, I'll take over now. Leave him to me."

Kiba's head shot up. His eyes widened as he took in the face that was looking back at him. The brown face had two scars ripping across it. The man strangely wore a police cap and appeared to be bald. The long scars trailed up and disappeared into the cap. His small beady eyes stared at Kiba intently and dissected him with the harsh look.

Genma looked up at the man and lifted an eyebrow.

"Ibiki? You sure?"

"I'll take care of it."

Genma shrugged and pushed his chair back. The metal legs screeched against the floor as he pushed. Standing up, he downed the last of his coffee and popped a toothpick into his mouth. Chewing on the stick, he walked to Ibiki and tilted his head to the side slightly. His eyes met Ibiki's, glanced back at Kiba, and met the burly man's gaze again.

"He's not talking." He spoke quietly. I even lied about Uzumaki's past to see if he would say something, but it seems he doesn't really know."

Ibiki gave a cruel smile and looked at the teen chained to the chair. Shaking his head inconspicuously, he gave a small nod.

"I'll get him talking."

Genma left the room and shut the door tightly behind him. Ibiki took the seat Genma had vacated and sat down roughly. Sifting through the papers left on the table he ignored Kiba and loudly crinkled the papers. Kiba sat in tense silence, just waiting for the same questions he had answered a million times. Minutes flew by and the man said nothing. Unnerved that the menacing man was asking zilch and was strangely being quiet, Kiba felt on edge. The heavy quietness of the room blanketed them to the point of smothering. As the seconds rolled by, the papers seamed to produce a louder noise. The tinkering of his chained limbs became deafening in the absolute silence. Sweat rolling down his forehead, Kiba's breathing slowly started to rise in pattern.

Unable to bear the silence, Kiba tried to get the man to talk.

"Hey man, how much longer am I going to be here for?"

Silence. The man continued to flip through the papers nonchalantly. The atmosphere thickened with tension. The halogen lamp hanging from the ceiling cast an odd shadow across the man's ragged face, highlighting his scars and hard features. His eyes were hidden in the darkness, hiding his expression. Kiba had the distinct feeling that he was still being watched. Feeling the hairs on his neck crawl, he turned to the windows on the walls and glared at them.

"Look! I already told the last guy and I'm about to tell this guy: I don't know what happened, but I know Naruto didn't do it!"

The man calmly set down the papers and pinned Kiba with his dark piercing glare that suddenly shifted from the shadows. The man reached out and brought a cup to his face. He sipped a bit of the coffee before setting the cup down with a clanking noise.

"Uzumaki Naruto is responsible for the deaths of four people. He fled the crime scene and is now a wanted suspect."

Ibiki simply stated the facts that he had heard. He was trying to rile the kid up to get him to confess and reveal the location of Uzumaki. It was a waiting game, one that he was confident he would win.

"Jesus Christ man, Naruto didn't do it! I know the guy; we're like brothers! Anyway, how could he? We were both drinking our asses off."

"Then explain how those men died and where Uzumaki is. He did it, it's just a matter of time before you tell us where he is or he turns himself in."

Kiba angrily slammed his hands on the table top. The chains scraped on the metal, eliciting a sharp screeching noise.

"Fuck you, man. Naruto is innocent, why can't you see that?"

"You never answered my question. Why did he do it? Was there money involved? A drug deal gone bad?"

Kiba gaped at the man in disbelief.

"You're joking. Now you think he is a junkie? Fuck you."

Kiba leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He muttered under his breath and cursed everything. _What the fuck happened? God my head hurts... I don't care what they say, I'm not telling them anything. Sooner or later they'll clearly find out that he's innocent... right?_

**xXx**

Sasuke felt a small surge of "oh shit" feelings after the commercial. His mind whirred at a million miles per second, shooting off possible ideas and ways to fix their situation. One in particular stuck in his mind and would not leave. It was imperative that blondie stayed out of the spotlight. Things would get unnecessarily complicated if he were to be found by the police. They would need disguises.

The man returned from the back and handed Sasuke some papers and his receipt. While Sasuke signed the small scrap of paper, he noticed out of his peripherals that the man was now watching the TV. He tensed as he expected the man to recognize the blond that was with him yesterday. With bated breath, Sasuke handed back the slip of paper. The man shook his head and snorted as the female anchor explained the details of the murders and possible motives. He took the paper and shoved it into a dusty drawer, crumpling it slightly.

"Some people are just that crazy. Next thing you know, he'll be killin' someone 'round here. You and your friend take care now."

Sasuke nodded once and walked quickly out of the door. Jamming his hands in his pockets, he felt the cold sharp ridge of his car keys and took them out. Pressing the unlock button, he watched as the blond opened the passenger door and got inside. Upon reaching the vehicle, Sasuke thrust open his door and slid inside. He shoved the key into the ignition and started the car with a loud purr. His lips pressed together in a tight line, the raven clicked his seatbelt on and drove smoothly out of the lot. Thankful that his windows were tinted, he stopped at a red light. His fingers were barely drumming the steering wheel as he waited.

Naruto looked over at his partner and tilted his head. The lean man looked exactly the same as always. Poker face with no emotions, laid back demeanor, and dark inquiring eyes. But there was something a bit off about him now. He seemed almost angry. It was very subtle, but not inconceivable. Knowing he was breaking one of the stupid rules imposed on him, he took a chance to ask what had happened.

"Are you mad?" Naruto inquired softly.

Sasuke was jolted out of his thoughts be the blond. Surprised, he looked over at him.

"No, not really. Why?"

Surprised that the man answered, Naruto tried to keep the ball rolling. "You seem really tensed up and pissed. Did something happen?" Naruto wondered if the prostitute had returned and had told the man the same things she did to him the other day. _Would that bother him that much?_

Sasuke turned back to the road and drove when the light changed to green. Fiddling with air conditioning buttons, he scoffed lightly. _He's bound to find out sooner or later__that he's wanted for murder. Might as well tell him now than have him cause a scene in the future._

"Your face is plastered all over the morning news."

Naruto cocked his head in confusion. "Wait, why? Did they find the men… Kiba! Oh Christ, what happened?!" Panicking, the blond began to subconsciously get out of the car. _I left him there all alone with those dead guys. Oh shit, what if something happened to him? Does he remember anything?_

"Calm down!" Sasuke snapped impatiently. He turned left sharply and drove out to the highway. _Fuck, now he's going to start panicking about his dumbass friend getting in trouble. _

"You're currently wanted as the murderer of the dead Akatsuki henchmen in your flat. The bodies were found early this morning and your friend is perfectly fine. He's just being charged with being an accomplice to a homicide and for not telling the interrogators what they want to hear."

Shocked, Naruto gaped at the lean man. "What!? But he didn't do anything! Why is he getting in trouble!?"

"He was there. It's as simple as that. Unfortunately, now the entire state knows what you look like and on top of that, you've got a price."

Naruto slid back heavily into his seat. Laughing uneasily at the absurdity of the situation, he gazed out of the window and up towards the baby blue sky. Clouds drifted carelessly across the vast expanse, providing some shade from the warm sun.

"So now what? If the whole state is on the lookout for me, I doubt I'll be free for long. Sooner or later someone will recognize me and turn me in... Oh God, what if the bad guys try to kill Kiba!?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That's why we're going to have to disguise you, stupid. And your friend is in the police's custody. He's perfectly safe." He lied carefully. _No matter where you go, if the Akatsuki were to set their sights on you, you're a dead man walking._

Naruto perked up a bit, rebounding quickly from his uneasiness and worry. Now that he had protection and felt the tiniest bit safer, he was beginning to find amusement and excitement in his predicament. It _wa_slike a movie. And everyone knows that the good guys always win in the end. It was a bonus to know that his only friend was safe.

"Like a costume?"

"Something similar to that. We'll have to change your most prominent features."

Naruto pulled down the visor and looked at his reflection, ignoring the blood the lightly dotted his face. His sapphire gems stared back at him.

"Prominent features? Is that like my hair?"

"Your hair, eye color, skin tone…"

"Eye color? I can't wear contact lenses."

Sasuke sighed and looked over at the blond.

"And why not?"

"I'm allergic to what they're made out of. They irritate my eyes and blur my vision. It's pretty nasty."

Sasuke thought of other options. _Even if he can't wear contacts, then we'll still have to do something to his eyes. They're too attractive to be ignored. Hmm, if he wears glasses, it'll change his face slightly. According to his files, he never wore them or need them for any reason. On the broadcast, he was pictured as he is, without glasses. Thus, nobody will particularly notice him while he has them on..._

"You'll wear glasses then. It will at least provide some measure of protection."

"But I don't like glasses. Can I have shades instead? Can I pick my own hair color? What looks best? …Hey, when's breakfast? I'm starving. Will we get breakfast soon?"

Silence met his questions. Glancing over at his companion, he realized the reason for the silence. The lean man had a rigid jaw line and was no longer occasionally turning to look at him. Naruto had overstepped the delicate boundaries of the man's tolerance and he was no longer answering. Settling down for an uncomfortable car ride, Naruto mentally sighed and decided to sleep. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply and crossed his arms. Getting comfortable and exhaling slowly, he leaned his head on the window and drifted off to the land of dreams.

Sasuke peeked over at the now quiet blond. He realized that the smaller man was sleeping. Fine by him. He preferred sweet silence as opposed to his loquacious companion. Now that the smaller man was silent, he could comfortably plan for the future. He never liked doing things without first reviewing the pros and cons, so this little reprieve from the spontaneity was satisfying.

**XxX**

Sasuke drove on. The quiet of the car was broken only by Naruto's steady breathing and the harmonic whimsy of concerto number twenty-one in C major. Sasuke breathed deeply and glimpsed at the radio clock. 2:28. He had been driving for a couple of hours now. His stomach growling, he remembered the blond's earlier words. It was true; they hadn't eaten yet and they were both starving. Deciding it was best to go to Kakashi's with a full stomach, Sasuke watched the road signs for a fast food restaurant. He didn't eat a lot of fast food, but time was of the essence, so fast food was the most obvious choice. Drive through preferably. The blond was coated with blood and recognizable while he himself was dressed in all black. They would attract a lot of unwanted attention if they went inside.

Finding a Wendy's on the signs, he quickly got off on the exit and headed towards it. Entering the parking lot, he drove the car over to the drive through line. Slipping his wallet out of his pocket, he took out a couple of twenties. Leaning over, he nudged the blond.

"Hey, blondie. Wake up."

The blond man sniffed and burrowed away from Sasuke. Letting out a light snore, he slid further from Sasuke. Annoyed, Sasuke reached over and shoved the blond man hard.

Naruto was jolted awake as his head hit the window. Groaning, he rubbed his wounded head and looked over at the man who caused it.

"Ow. Jeez, what?"

Sasuke nodded over at the drive through line that was in front of them impatiently. It was almost their turn at the machine.

"It's time for some lunch. Order whatever."

Naruto blinked groggily and looked around. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he yawned and nodded lightly.

"'Kay, whatever your name is."

Once they had ordered and paid, Sasuke drove the car back onto the highway and continued on his way to Hatake Firm. Naruto happily munched on his spicy chicken sandwich, all the while complaining that he wanted ramen. Sasuke continued to try to ignore the blond, but found it increasingly difficult. Sunshine had a voice that would simply not let you ignore it. It was aggravating the quiet raven. Digging deep into his Uchiha genes, Sasuke brought out one of his best "I-will-kill-you-if-you-don't-shut-the-fuck-up" faces and slapped it on. Seconds later, the smaller man began to quiet down and pout. _Maintaining this face is going to hurt after a while, but it's worth the quiescence. _Feeling his face begin to tense up, he let the face drop. It was good record for him.

Entering familiar territory, Sasuke accelerated and made his way into the city. Passing several slow moving cars, he peeked over at the sullen blond. Naruto sat sort of curled up into himself with his arms crossed. He appeared to be annoyed. Sasuke rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. Focusing on the streets in front of him, he spoke to the smaller man.

"Sasuke."

"What?" asked the blond crossly. He looked over at the lean stranger and lifted an eyebrow.

Sasuke's hands tightened on the steering wheel.

"My name is Sasuke."

**A/N: If I write it, they will review…**


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